Even though these types of specific details might not be important to you (the writer), they probably are to the reader. Your specific details are unique and help readers as well as your other family members "experience" your experience as you did.  Often times, even the smallest, seemingly insignificant, detail can bring your shared memory alive, perhaps even create a link to volumes of of other recollections.

 

For example read how six different family members recall their Grandmother:

 

I vividly recall her chopping off a chicken's head with a hatchet. Then it ran off without a head!

 

She said, "Look!" And there, all over the ground, were tiny, blue flowers. I'd never seen violets.

 

I always remember Grandma as calm and unruffled--no matter how hectic the day.

 

Grandma used to make lye soap in an old black kettle over an open fire in the back yard.

 

I saw her pick up a rock, throw it at a rabbit, and kill it--more than once.

 

Mother could fry chicken better than anybody.

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Showing is much better than telling!   For Example:

 

Telling: I poked my finger.

Showing: I poked a needle through my finger and it bled.

 

Telling: My sister was sick.

Showing: My sister had a fever of 103° and an upset stomach.

 

Showing helps stimulate our mental senses and provides a "picture" in our minds.

 

Telling is VAGUE ... in other words "unclear"

Showing is SPECIFIC ... in other words "more detailed"

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Be prudent, when including memories of past emotions, and unsavory or questionable behaviors or occurrences within a family. Though these things are important to capture the true flavor of individuals, discretion is appropriate. Consider tempering the negative things or cutting them all together in some instances. In most cases writing a personal memoir is NOT meant to drive a family apart. It might be wise to clarify that the observation is the writer's perception by either observation or private experience.

 

Some "getting started" ideas for stories focused in and around Glen Elder:

• Did you know there used to be a movie theater and skating rink in Glen Elder?

• Let me tell you about the '51 flood!

• Farming was a lot different back then!

• When I was a boy, combines and tractors didn't have air conditioners!

• Everyone used gather and then we'd have a jack-rabbit hunt that covered miles.

• My parents and I would sit on the porch every night, we didn't have TV.

• Let me tell you what we did during the depression years.

• The holiday gathering I most remember when I was a child.

• There used to be lots of businesses around the Glen Elder city square when I was a kid, including two grocery stores...

Recall...re-tell, stories told to you by grandparents, or other older or deceased family members. You might be the only one to have heard the story or to remember the story.

 

Family and community members will be pleasantly surprised to learn that others recall the same experiences. Though perhaps told by someone else from a slightly different perspective or with a different twist, your recollection will have added meaning... and something your children's children will be excited to learn about.  Again, most importantly, don't forget to include dates, names, locations, events, directions... etc.... BE SPECIFIC!  :-)   ...and have fun writing!